Siheung jar-barbecue duck restaurant with free duck soup: Grill Duck

My father-in-law had recently been feeling worn out physically, and while thinking about what to treat him to, the first place that came to mind was Grill Duck, an Okgil-dong favorite. I'd heard fresh duck meat is great for recovering strength. I remembered enjoying it on a previous visit, so this time I took my father-in-law and mother-in-law for dinner.

What kind of restaurant is Grill Duck Hangari Barbecue?

Grill Duck is known not just for duck but as a barbecue specialist that grills Korean pork belly and shoulder in clay jars too.

Fitting for a restaurant near dog-friendly Starfield Bucheon, this place also allows dogs, though a carrier or bag is required.

Even though it hasn't been open long, it's already appeared on TV and become a go-to Bucheon barbecue spot with a steady stream of influencers.

There's seating from 4-person tables to large groups of 10 or more, so on weekends it fills up almost entirely with families.

Banchan, wrap greens and sauces with no table-setting fee

Usually when eating pork belly or beef, the side dishes come out generously, but duck restaurants often skip that. This place was different.

Whether they grow the vegetables themselves or not, the table is always set with fresh, good-quality produce and a wide variety of banchan.

The overall prices are reasonable, yet the banchan and wrap greens come generously with no table-setting fee — very satisfying.

My in-laws seemed to appreciate the generous side dishes even more than when my wife and I come by ourselves.

Beyond the banchan, there were several kinds of sauces too, so it was fun mixing and matching to suit our tastes.

The free duck bone soup that comes with the half-and-half set

At this Bucheon barbecue restaurant, ordering the half-and-half duck set gets you a free recovery hotpot, made by simmering duck bones down into a milky broth.

This was actually part of why I brought my father-in-law here. He took one sip and said it tasted like the real deal, and ate it up happily.

I'd originally planned to save the rice for fried rice with the marinated duck, but after everyone tasted the broth, we all agreed we needed to order rice.

In the end we each ordered a bowl of rice and mixed it into the broth — great as a meal, and it would pair just as well with drinks.

400g raw duck: nutty, with no gamy smell

The set includes 400g of raw duck and 400g of marinated duck, but we kept wanting more, so we ordered extra raw duck.

The clean, fat-free, savory flavor completely won over my in-laws' tastes. Even dipped in just a bit of salt, the savoriness filled the whole bite.

Maybe because they use fresh meat prepped that same day, there was no gamy smell at all, and the clean flavor — different from pork or beef — was impressive.

Even though they usually eat small portions, they seemed so taken with the Okgil-dong grill flavor that they cleared the first batch in the blink of an eye.

The rice cakes and potatoes served alongside were also great grilled and dipped in sauce, especially the rice cakes with a crisp exterior, which paired well with the raw duck.

Given how fresh the meat was, it worked best not charred but grilled just enough to keep the juices in, for a softer bite.

For the first bite, I skipped the other banchan and sauces and just dipped it in salt — the rich meaty aroma and juices came through clearly and got my appetite going.

Marinated jumulleok duck, and where the noodle add-in goes

Still, you can't fill the whole meal with raw duck alone — you have to try the marinated duck as part of the set to feel like the Okgil-dong visit was worth it.

Tossed with a variety of vegetables in Grill Duck's secret marinade and stir-fried with a subtle charcoal aroma, it's excellent.

If you want to add a noodle or rice cake add-in for a fuller meal, I'd recommend putting it in the saucier marinated duck side rather than the raw duck — the savory sauce blends in beautifully.

My in-laws, who usually shy away from anything too sweet or salty, cleared the sauce pot completely — the balance of the marinade was that good.

Rice cakes, udon noodles, or fried rice all seemed like they'd pair well, but since we'd already eaten rice, we finished with udon noodles.

Between the variety of banchan and sauces, the duck hotpot, and then the raw duck and marinated duck, this Okgil-dong favorite delivered both a body-boosting meal and a proper night out.

For a meal with parents, the whole lineup — from banchan to duck hotpot, raw duck and marinated duck — felt pretty substantial. It fit the purpose of this visit well: taking care of both recovery and a family meal out.

What stood out at Grill Duck Hangari Barbecue

• Fresh raw duck with no gamy smell
• Generous and varied banchan and sauces
• Rich-tasting free duck hotpot
• Marinated duck sauce with real charcoal flavor
• Reasonable pricing with no table-setting fee
• Dogs welcome

Grill Duck Hangari Barbecue: address, hours and parking

• Address: 282 Beoman-ro, 1st floor, Siheung-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• Hours: 11:00–22:00 (weekday break 15:00–16:30)
• Parking: Free dedicated lot